A network routes update messages containing updates to properties of live objects from input sources to clients having the objects. When the clients receive live objects, the clients identify the object IDs associated with the objects and register the object IDs with the routing network. The routing network is adapted to selectively send update messages to nodes in the network and the nodes forward the messages to the clients. One implementation uses a hierarchy of registries to indicate which nodes and clients receive which update messages. Another implementation assigns update messages to one or more of N categories and nodes to one or more of M types, and the gateways maintain mapping between categories and types. To ensure that clients receive all of the update messages for which they register, the clients connect to client proxies that in turn connect to at least one node of each type.